One of the first semi-popular supermotos in the US, the KTM Duke II was a revelation for the lucky few that got to enjoy it – the comfortable ergonomics and light weight made this an excellent hooligan bike. Get used to riding with the front wheel off the ground!
65 Miles – 2004 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
Post Sale Update: This MGS-01 sold for $48,150 (including the 7% buyer’s fee) on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. Moto Guzzi Sport, Number 1 – that’s what MGS-01 stood for. Doesn’t matter what you called it, it was an unexpected taste of what Guzzi would be capable of if they wanted to rub shoulders with Ducati or Aprilia in the exotic, red-blooded …
581 Miles – 1995 Honda NSR50
Post Sale Update: This Honda NSR50 sold for $6,688 (including the 7% buyer’s fee) after 42 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. Yesterday I shared a video about how we got 30 bikes in a container from Japan – including some lovely small-displacement machines. Well, here’s the first one we put up for auction: a NSR50.
1 Mile – 1996 Bimota BB1 Supermono
Bimota’s first BMW-powered motorcycle, the BB1 Supermono was also the first Bimota to be powered by a single-cylinder motor. In total, 524 were sold – 376 as a red/grey Supermono and another 148 Supermono Bipostos in dark blue…as found here. This one’s up for auction with us over at Iconic, and it’s never been ridden!
1981 Ducati MHR 900
Built to celebrate Mike the Bike’s comeback triumph at the ’78 Isle of Man TT, the Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) was initially produced solely for homologation purposes. As such, just 200 were built in 1979. But demand was so high that Ducati decided to keep production going, and by the end of the run in 1986 the Italian …
In England – 2008 Vyrus 985 C3 4V Carbon
If the hub-center craziness of the Bimota Tesi 3D isn’t powerful and exotic enough for you, then you need to give Vyrus a call. Circa 2008, Bimota’s hub-center steering flagship was making 95 horsepower thanks to a Ducati 1100 Evo motor. Meanwhile, Vyrus was stuffing a Ducati 999R motor – and that was good for 150 hp. That, among other …
2003 Aprilia RSV Mille R Haga Edition
During the 2002 World Superbike season, Noriyuki Haga — also known as the the “Samurai of Slide” or “Nitro Nori” — placed fourth overall on his RSV Mille. Aprilia commemorated Haga’s efforts with a limited production run of the RSV Mille R. Just 300 Haga Replicas were built for the 2003 model year, 60 of which were sold in the …
1974 Gus Kuhn Seeley Norton Commando 850
After a successful career in trials, scrambles, and TT racing, Gus Kuhn founded a dealership with his namesake in 1932. His wife fell ill in the 40s, and he took a back seat and let Vincent Davey start taking over the reins. When Norton released the Commando in ’68, Vincent thought it’d be a great model to start a race …
No Reserve – 2000 Honda RC51
Sold between in 2000 and 2006 in two different versions, the RC51 has gone down as one of the most legendary motorcycles to ever come out of Honda, well-deserving of the “RC” designation that’s graced other famous Hondas like the RC30, RC40, and RC45. It was Honda’s take on the V-Twin replica racer, beating Ducati at it’s own game with …
1973 Ducati 750 Sport
A highlight of Ducati’s historical lineup, the 70s 750 Sport was a primary inspiration for the ahead-of-its-time 2006-2010 Sport Classic 1000 line up. Here’s one that’s been on display for years and has been recently serviced so it’s ready to ride.
1989 Suzuki RGV250 SP VJ21
Last week I shared a fun VJ22 SP that we had over on the auction site, and I think this predecessor from the same seller is visually even better. I guess I like soda over cigarettes?
1 of 21 – 2003 Cannondale S440
In the late 90s, Cannondale (the well-known bicycle manufacturer) tried to move into motorsports, with an off-road bike, a supermoto, and an ATV. Long story short, it was a disaster. $80 million later, the company declared bankruptcy, having left behind an interesting story of what happens when you can’t live up to the hype. Most people know about the dirt …
“Team Suzuki” – 1991 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22 Lucky Strike
Tobacco advertising has led to some of the greatest liveries in motorsports, but some countries were quick than others to ban advertising from cigarette companies. One such country was Australia, which stopped allowing such advertising in the early 90s. In response, race teams and advertisers often came up with alternatives that swapped out certain words but tried to keep the …
2 Kilometers – 2002 Ducati MH900e
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a never-ridden example of one of the most visually-extreme Ducatis in the last 30 years. Originally a sketch from the legendary Pierre Terblanche, the design got Ducati plenty of positive feedback so they decided to post a survey on their website to see if their passionate fans would actually buy a production version. …
1975 Kawasaki Z1
The Z1 was Kawasaki’s “bigger is better” counter to the Honda CB750, and it was a legendary motorcycle that Team Green has recently tried to recapture the magic of. The 903cc motor was so big that Kawasaki couldn’t even sell it in their home country of Japan, which had a 750cc displacement cap at the time.